Sedentary Behaviour and Physical Activity of Randomised Sample of Czech Adults Aged 20-64 Years: IPAQ and GPAQ Studies between 2002 and 2011.

AIM

The prevalence of sedentary behaviour has increased, and physical activity (PA) levels have declined with increases in urbanisation and modernisation. Researchers need to find solutions to address this lack of PA. The main aim of this study was to identify the PA level and sedentary behaviour in a randomised sample of the Czech adult population in 2002 and 2011.

METHODS

To investigate PA in 20-64 year old adults, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) (in 2002) and the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ) (in 2011) were applied. The randomised samples comprised 1,782 participants in 2002, and 1,359 participants in 2011.

RESULTS

The results showed a significant decrease (F=83.84; p<0.001; ω²=0.03) in the time spent sitting between the years 2002 and 2011. The proportion of individuals reporting low PA has increased (11.4% in 2002 vs. 27.9% in 2011). Individuals with college/university education were more likely to have low PA levels (OR=1.51, p<0.001, CI=1.21-1.68) compared with those with elementary or secondary education. Along with educational level, low PA levels are also associated with older age, spending more than four hours a day sitting, and the survey year.

CONCLUSION

Sedentary behaviour, PA, and factors influencing this behaviour may differ across countries; therefore, more trend-related research should be performed on these issues, especially in Central and Eastern Europe, where these studies are scarce.